James Cook

Today is the birthday of naval officer, explorer, and astronomer James Cook, who was born in Marton-in-Cleveland, England, in 1728. Cook is best known for his exploration of Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Science, particularly astronomy, played a large role in many of Cook’s voyages. In 1768 Cook led an expedition through the Pacific to search for a hypothesized vast southern continent and to stop in Tahiti to observe the transit of Venus across the Sun. Cook’s crew arrived safely in Tahiti and viewed the transit on 3 June 1769 (see Cook’s drawing below). Notably, none of the crew died of scurvy during the long voyage because Cook imposed a strict diet that included sauerkraut. The success of Cook’s science-provoked mission and the relatively good health of the crew inspired voyages such as Darwin’s famous ride on the HMS Beagle. In a subsequent voyage to search for the Northwest Passage, Cook observed a solar eclipse from an island he named Christmas Island. Unfortunately later in that trip, Cook was killed on the big island of Hawaii in 1779.

Date in History: 27 October 1728